Killing Became Like Drinking a Glass of Water
by Lulu-LaHotpockets
Summary: Bucky doesn't remember much about his past even his experience in Hydra. He does remember agents discussing a project called Twilight. The Avengers go in to investigate only to find that the Twilight Project is just a boy.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hi! This is my first fic I'm posting so I hope you like it. I don't have a beta, but I have been proof-reading the hell out of this so hopefully it's alright.

Just a note about the universe: It's post AoU and CA:CW hasn't happened. The accords are just starting to form in discussions and the team hasn't worried about arguing over it yet though there is some tension.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any Marvel content or characters. The same goes with Gangsta.! This is just something that came out of binging Gangsta. last week.

* * *

For Bucky life was starting to brighten. Finally away from manipulation and now with Steve. There was tension among him and the Avengers when he moved in, but Steve insisted he was safe. Natasha didn't seem to mind. She looked distrustful as ever, but he was pretty sure that neutral glare was her usual expression.

It was weird to not have to prowl about. Hydra drilled stealth into his brain. It was hard to break the habit of slipping into rooms unnoticed. Tony had broken so many mugs when a Bucky suddenly showed up in the kitchen at two AM.

Getting used to little everyday socializing was hard. He barely spoke even when spoken to during his fucked up years. Steve was his biggest support. They were childhood friends after all. Even if Bucky couldn't remember their days in the forties, Steve was an anchor that he needed.

He and Natasha were on good terms. They would train or be up at weird hours. Either way, she seemed to understand without a word. The silence between them wasn't awkward, and she didn't push a conversation. Bucky appreciated it.

Sam, that was the guy flying around on jet-pack wings he remembered. It was strangest to be with him. He pretty much nearly killed the guy. Well he did that to Steve and Nat too, but they seemed way too used to this sort of stuff. Sam was someone he barely knew anything about. Other than his name and the wings thing. Steve had insisted that Sam was a friend, that he could help through the hard memories. Bucky wasn't sure what to make of the man. There was tension but he knew Sam was trying to help out how he could.

Bucky started responding. Little "yes"s and small conversation. Sam found that he'd be shut down harshly if he tried to get into a more personal talk. That's why he had Steve. Steve knew him better than he knew himself. The blond was there in the middle of the night when Bucky woke up screaming, the voices of Hydra haunting his dreams. He'd share any of these horrid nightmares with his best friend.

Talking about Hydra and what happened there was in a low voice and few words. The worst part is he barely even remembered any of that.

Some parts lingered more. The trigger words, the vague feeling of experiencing a metal arm for the first time, another project that agents hushed about. That was the one that bothered him most. The trigger words still left a knot in his gut but, whatever this project of theirs was it seemed definitely important. And he had no clue what it was.

He told Steve about it, and the man urged him to remember. A project by Hydra was not good in any way he was sure of.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I have a few chapters done, so I'll start with the first two posting right now. The chapters aren't very long, but I like to think they get the story going. I don't know how frequently I can update, but I'll try to do it weekly at the least.

* * *

"Bucky. Bucky..! You're okay." The brunet blinked his eyes open. His heart was still racing and he could feel the cold sweat cling to his body. Steve was sitting on his bedside, hands firmly on his shoulders. He'd learned that waking Bucky harshly was not a good idea. It lead to self-defense and choke holds. So the soft voice that woke him up and the glint of worry in his eyes was what had Bucky slow down enough to take in that he was now awake. "It's just another dream. You're safe, Bucky," Steve slid his hand into his friend's flesh one. "I promise."

With a deep breath, he let his shoulders sag back into the mattress. The sticky feeling of hair on the back of his neck itched but he remained still. Steve smiled to see him relax, their eyes locked on each other. The unnerved tenseness of Bucky's expression, jaw tight and biting the bottom lip, Steve knew his friend wouldn't get a restful sleep that night.

Bucky shifted over, making room for Steve to sit beside him. "Twilight." As Steve settled in his expression froze on Bucky. He knew that was the name of whatever Hydra was doing. Neither of them knew much else, and it was hardly ever the focus of nightmares. "Yeah..?" The blond asked calmly hoping it would coax Bucky into continuing.

A nod came with messy hair coming into his face. Chin down, a small mumble of words fell out. Steve tensed with his stomach in a knot. Even with enhanced hearing he wasn't sure what his friend said. He hoped he heard wrong though. "… What?"

"More super soldiers." Bucky repeated clearly, his eyes returning to meet the blond's. They stayed motionless, speaking through their eyes. Steve swallowed, searching Bucky for any sign that it wasn't right. In return the soldier kept a fixed gaze seemingly scared to break eye contact first.

Steve felt Bucky squeeze his hand and he returned the gesture. Whether he remembered right or not, Bucky felt it weighing him down. While Steve felt dread rising, he kept himself calm. He was there to comfort his lifelong friend, not scare him more by panicking.

Neither dared to say anything more, settling into the pillow.

* * *

A/N: The ball will start rolling in the next chapter. Review and let me know what you think please!


	3. Chapter 3

The two managed an hour or so of sleep after that. Everyone in the tower seemed to start their days early (well Tony had no concept of sleep patterns). Five in the morning Steve slipped out from under Bucky's resting head and got ready for the day. They'd have to tell the others sooner or later. It was best to announce in the morning, Steve decided. Besides he wasn't sure if he could sleep on the news for another night.

"Morning." Steve greeted the man slowly pulling himself together. A nod an tired hum was the reply. Bucky looked like he hadn't slept in ages, dark circles under his eyes. It took a moment for the morning-zombie to get up and out the door. The two slowly made their way up to the communal kitchen.

"Morning" trying again the with others, he managed to at least get a good morning out of Bruce. Natasha wasn't awake judging by the mostly full coffee mug in her hand. Clint usually would also give a tired not-morning-person grunt most of the time, but he was committed to scrambling eggs over the stove without the purple plastic that normally wrapped around his ears.

The group was quiet, enjoying the quiet as their coffee woke them up. Tony's arrival changed that, stealing the coffee pot itself and groaning about DumE and U.

Clint dismissively waved his fork at Tony. "Oh come on, you built them. Be a responsible father." Nat's elbow met his ribcage as he chuckled. "Seriously dude" he continued ignoring Tony's glare, "it's a day off don't complain."

Steve sighed knowing he'd kill the mood real fast. "Actually Hawkeye…" They all stopped to look to him. Steve using a code name at six in the morning meant there would be no lounging or Netflix binges.

A groan came from Tony. "Please just tell us you need a lift to get a pension application or something." Steve shook his head. The old man joke wasn't appreciated, but he wished it was that simple a problem. How do you go about telling a bunch of half-asleep heroes that Hydra probably has more Super-Soldiers on hand?

"No. How far are you into Hydra's systems?" Maybe they could find out more. Steve really didn't want to go in blind.

"Uh, most of it is SHIELD files they stole. I haven't really dug into it." There was a suspicious look in his narrowing eyes.

"Look to see if there's anything mentioning Super Soldiers."

"Cap, there's you, Bucky, and Wanda. We took care of the scepter and there still hasn't been another serum." Tony nodded to Bruce for a second before groaning. "PLEASE tell me this is stalker-style reports about you and not some more experiments." The billionaire dropped his forehead to the table when Steve only gave a sympathetic look.

There was a quiet pause before Bruce broke in as he played with the last of his egg. "Wanda and Pietro had powers beyond the original super-serum. We can't risk facing an army of people like that."

Everyone at the table knew he was right. Bucky almost took down SHIELD's top agents. None of them could compare with the power or speed the twins had. Fighting each of them was difficult, and the Avengers had the advantage of numbers. The thought of the project failing and making another Hulk left a knot in Bruce's stomach.

Tony refilled the pot, and took it as he went up to his lab. No one needed to say anything to know he was getting right on that search. Settling down in the most comfortable desk chair money could buy.

"Twilight." A voice came.

He promptly startled and fell off. Bucky held in a small scoff; so easy to scare the man. The soldier stood in the doorway watching Tony attempt to get dignity back. "You could've given me a heart attack." He started. "I have heart problems you know. Could've died."

With the slightest of smirks, Bucky shook his head. "You didn't." His eyes lost the amusement, the cold look of Winter Soldier replacing it. "The project is called Twilight."

Tony nodded. "Yeah Steve said you mentioned something like that before. Friday will get anything that sounds remotely super soldier-y." Satisfied, Bucky left Tony to his work.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hi folks! Action will really get going next chapter. I never realized writing fighting scenes are frustrating, so it's taking a little time. But it is on it's way!

* * *

It took hours to for anything to come up. While sparring and movies passed the time, the team was going nuts waiting. Tony had Friday looking through every file Hydra have recorded digitally. Any that seemed relevant in the slightest she sent to the billionaire to look through himself. After the first two hours, Tony had called up Vision asking him to do a search as well. Vision was part JARVIS and Jarvis could get anything done. That and Vision was pretty much the internet with legs and forehead lasers.

The afternoon showed progress when Vision sent a file to Stark. It wasn't the most detailed, but it was definitely it; titled The Twilight Project and all. He quickly called for a meeting, spamming everyone with "get your butts over here now" messages.

"What do you have Tony?" The captain got straight to the point once everyone was there. There wouldn't be a meeting if they didn't find anything. Eight hours of waiting was frustrating enough.

"This." With the single word a holographic screen lit up with the file displayed. On it was a jumble of scientific words Steve couldn't make complete sense of, but it was clear enough that there were experiments going on.

"Is that…?" Bruce started, squinting at a diagram of lines connecting various numbers and letters. Friday Kindly zoomed in, and he hummed while he looked it over.

"What is it?" Steve broke Bruce from what looked like being lost in thought.

The scientist turned to the group. "Looks like a chemical, well, a drug. Like the serum you were given it's administered to the subject." He paused to look at it again, "looks like it's done in various doses. Starting with the largest and then periodically taking the smaller ones."

Bucky shifted with his flesh hand tightening. "How many?"

"Doesn't say the total, but the mortality rate is high." Tony added. Scrolling more, "It's been going on for a couple of decades now."

"So we stop it." The group agreed with silent nods. Steve hated the idea of human experiments. He didn't mind the one he went through. It was with his consent and the people who ran it actually had some humanity. "Do we have a location?"

Tony nodded. He had Friday pull up a map while he explained. "Some little country called Symkaria. Hydra sure has a thing for small countries in east Europe." He shrugged. First Sokovia now Symkaria. "The coordinates stated are placed in the middle of a valley. Good place to hide lair with mines around."

"Alright, Avengers suit up. We leave in fifteen." With that the group dispersed to prepare.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Fight scenes are apparently harder to write than I thought, but I had fun writing it so :P Also thank you so much Daredevil for the review! Waking up to see the notification made my day. It's no pressure, I love this story and want to write more know there's people who like it!

* * *

The flight there was quiet for the most part. Steve went over the plans a few times to make sure everyone knows what to do. The team all spent time double checking and triple checking their gear.

"Ugh… Finally." Clint grunted from the controls. Iron man and Thor leapt out to fly in themselves, while they others were quick to move once on land.

It didn't take long to get Hydra's attention. Thor pounded the metal doors much to the surprise of lazing security guards. Mjolnir met the thick metal with a deafening blow, a hole now where the door once stood. None of the Avengers waited a moment, Thor and Iron Man take out many of the agents that were already in the room. It didn't take long for reinforcements to show up.

Natasha and Clint provided cover as Bucky and Steve advanced. With his shield in front, the blond tackled through. They didn't linger on their opponents long. The rest of the avengers could clear out the place. The two managed past into the hall with a conveniently placed smoke cover courtesy of Hawkeye.

And damn. Why do hallways always have to look the same? The grey halls came on right after another. It was increasingly frustrating. Not even Tony had enough details from hacking to navigate properly.

As they pushed further into the compound, they had let Bucky and Steve get further to search deeper within. The two started peering in rooms offset from the maze of hallways. The captain wasn't sure he had the patience to search the whole place. Yeah he fought off aliens and robots in inconceivable quantities, but now he was facing an unknown amount of soldiers in the confines of a mine-turned-evil-lair.

Vision's voice sounded through the comms announcing he was scouting ahead. While most of the team were taking the fight and the two old soldiers advanced, the android slipped through the walls effortlessly. He didn't solidify, only briefly scanning about before moving to the level below.

"I have located numerous labs." The British accent sounded through the comms. "The start on the third sub-basement, and appear to have more further below." There was a small grumble from Iron Man about the stupidly large interior of this base. The rest were hums of acknowledgement and a couple of ambient gunshots.

"Good." Steve piped up. There was a pause and the background filled with grunts of people punching one another. "Check just how many there are. Bucky and I are headed down now."

"Of course."

Bucky didn't need another word to slam a man against another, leaving the stairwell open. He skipped the steps completely, jumping to the landings below until he was far enough.

There were less grunts to fight as most had rushed to the invasion continuing upstairs. Steve was right in step with him and together they slipped into each room. Many looked like a clinic office… without the homey-ness. A couple resembled more of a dentist with a chair to hold the subject as who knows what happened to them. Others were cells, stepping in to see a small space with a one way window and thick steel door on the wall across. The windows showed a smaller room that was clearly there to hold someone. All had the unsettling white light in the ceiling making that ever present buzz of electricity.

Bucky fought the twist in his stomach. They had yet to see a single person victimized by Hydra. That was a good note. It didn't feel like it though as the mortality rate from the file ran through his mind. There was no telling just how many people were killed from this.

He and Steve shared a look. The blond simply made a nod to keep moving, so they continued through the corridors.

A loud slam and shouting to shoot at the intruders had him turning. Before he could see the team of gunmen barging down the stairwell, Bucky felt a strong hand push him around the corner. He whipped his head back around with his own gun ready. The only reason he didn't let bullets fly was Steve standing sturdy, his shield clanking as lead hit.

"Get going." Steve told him. Years of a small scrawny Steve had left the innate instinct for Bucky to be the one to take the fight. But this wasn't that gangly little kid. The muscle-bound man in front of him could take the enemy approaching. "Keep looking. I'll hold them off." After meeting the sure blue eyes, Bucky nodded and hurried through the rooms of the next hall.

A small smile spread across his lips for a second hearing the fighting behind him. There was the satisfying crunch and cry of a bone breaking from a shield jabbed into them. With the unnecessary reassurance of the grunts, Bucky took a breath and moved forward and to another corner.

The current wing he inspected was holding cells only so far. They sat empty. And while the floor and walls of the rooms were concrete there was almost a sterile look to them. The brunet bit down the goosebumps spreading and moved.

One door he opened though was occupied. The person that was sitting casually in a fold out chair, seemingly dozing, was startled awake by the soldier's presence. He scrambled up with gun in hand, failing rather well at the whole "scary Hydra agent" role.

Bucky advanced without hesitation, his metal arm pulling the gun from his grasp. A knife was grasped in the man's other hand and swung forward. He ducked from it, grabbing the agent's wrist and twisting it back, slamming him face first into the sturdy glass in the process. With another hard head injury the man slid unconscious on the floor.

Blue eyes flicked up to the window to the cell. It wasn't empty. Against the far wall a narrow cot sat low to the floor with only a thin blanket and flattened old pillow atop. He leaned to look for an occupant. Guarding an empty bed would've been pointless. There was a glimpse of dark hair in the corner against the same wall.

"I found something." He announced into the comm-link, quickly adding "third level basement." Bucky quickly frisked the unconscious man, grabbing a key-card. It only took a moment to get the door open. He hurried in, only to freeze in the doorway, eyes locked on the resident of the cell.

"Great, on my way." The words didn't register, only aware of the person before him.

Steve peered in from the hallway, huffing and suit stained with spots of blood. "What we got?" He paused seeing the tense way Bucky stood staring into the cell. He frowned watching Bucky shift his weight before turning to Steve, then quickly back to the cell.

"Steve…" Barely a whisper escaped his lips. The blond has seen his friend falling apart in the night, from some subtle reminder that brought too much back to him. He'd helped the man through shaking breaths and silent tears. The absolute fear on his face was unfortunately familiar. But through every mission, raid, search and destroy, fight against Hydra, Bucky had remained composed. He held himself together in the field, even when he was trying to kill Steve. Seeing him like this here had left Steve with knots twisting his guts.


	6. Chapter 6

Steve knew he didn't want to see just how far Hydra had taken this project. He knew they were sick and twisted enough already. The situation at hand however did not give him an option to turn a blind eye (as if he would anyways).

He stepped to the window of the cell. The scruffy haired figure curled up in the corner didn't catch his eye until the head snapped up facing his partner. Bucky removed his weapons clearly in front of them, and crouched.

The enhanced hearing of his picked up Bucky talking to them in a gentle tone. His words were reassuring, as if coaxing a scared animal. The blond wanted to see the situation in full, but remained grounded at the glass. Fear was a delicate thing, especially after captivity and who knows what else.

It took about ten minutes of Bucky quietly promising he would help the subject, that everything would be alright, that Hydra wasn't going to do anything to them anymore. Even with enhanced hearing, Steve didn't hear a single response but small breaths.

Bucky held out his flesh hand, the other taking it to stand up. Steve stiffened. On the other side of the glass was a child. Hydra actually had a child locked up. The poor kid was small, gaunt even. The grey cotton shirt and sweatpants he had hung from his body loosely. His fingers were long and boney. The way his skin hugged tightly to his clavicle showed too much bone.

The harsh light of the room did nothing to make the boy seem healthy. The complexion was frightfully pale and littered with bruises, both old and new. The freshest one was a deep purple welt over his cheek, causing the kid to squint through that side's eye. There were a couple more dark marks across his forehead from what Steve could see through long unkempt bangs.

His eyes were also dark, jet black. While they looked sunken and tired, they remained fixated on Bucky who was leading him out of the room. They quickly moved to Steve once he was in sight.

The boy didn't say anything. There was a tense clench in his jaw, and his posture swayed into a more defensive one. It was a subtle movement. He was guarded even while he kept eye contact with Steve. The man was surprised by just how well the boy maintained eye contact, having expected him to most likely shy behind Bucky or the door.

"Hello. I'm Steve." He quietly spoke to the boy. "We're going to help you. Ready to get out of here?" The dark eyes blinked at him for a moment. Behind his bangs his brows furrowed ever so slightly before giving a slight nod.

"Alright team, let's get moving out of here." He announced before the three of them hurried up stairs.

"Sweet, we can blow this popsicle stand. Banner, want to get those stretchy boxers of yours on?" Tony responded, eager to get back to the compound away from crazy men with guns. This was supposed to be a day off!

The doctor's only response was a sigh and an unseen eye roll.

None of them didn't really know what to expect their find would be. A stack of paper files, samples of the drug maybe?

It was probably a good idea Bruce had exited the jet to Hulk out as the destroy phase of the "search and destroy." Because everyone's attention went to the child Bucky was now carrying as Steve used the shield to keep bullets off of them. Thor paused to take in the sight, the Hulk did too when barging in loudly. Though the others did more of a double take.

None of them really needed the full story to feel anger tightening their chests. A child in the hands of Hydra was already terrible.

Natasha hurried to the jet a moment after, preparing the getaway. Hawkeye shot off any threat to the two soldiers, providing cover for the others.

Meanwhile, the Hulk was properly pissed and indiscriminately wrecking the place. Thor joined with violent lightning flashing through the air.

The team gathered in the jet, giving the green monster a moment more of destruction before letting out a deafening roar and returning to the others.

With the team in the air, Natasha took the liberty of landing the final blow, sending missiles into the rubble. Then the team was on their way home.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I'm having a good day so have another chapter. They were both very short so I mashed chapters seven and eight together.

* * *

The ride back to the compound was just as tense, if not more, as their way to Symkaria. Their eyes kept going to the scrawny kid sitting between Steve and Bucky. His eyes were wide, flitting back and forth between the team and the window. When the jet started up he went rigid. His fingers grasped white-knuckle tight to his seat as they rose higher from the ground.

Bucky explained the way he found him, sitting on the floor hugging his knees close. The team remained quiet as they spoke, passing bandages to one another who needed it. They didn't want to spook the kid anymore. The flight with strangers had him on edge enough.

Almost to America, Bruce moved to sit across the kid. "Hey." His voice was soft, both to be gentle and from the soreness of the hulk's outburst. Dark eyes went up and down the doctor's form and gave no response. "Here, you should get hydrated." He offered a bottle of water.

After a minute the kid took it, warily inspecting it. Opening the bottle, he merely took a sniff. The amount of caution pulled at Bruce's heart. No one should be so scared to eat or drink. After another moment of decision, he took a small sip.

He offered a smile. "So. Can you tell me your name?" It would be nice to know what to call the boy. He wasn't given an answer. Not even the shake of his head, just a tired face watching him back with no trace of what thoughts could be going through his head.

* * *

Having arrived at the compound the first thing to be done was take care of the kid. Bucky, who seemingly is the one who left an impression on the boy, led him along to the medical wing. Bruce joined them shortly to make sure the kid was… as okay as he could be.

Again it took a moment for him to respond to the doctor, but he was surprisingly compliant. Bruce was expecting the kid to shy away and avoid his touch. But he didn't mind letting him check temperature, reflexes, and the like. He knew the drill it appeared, but then again a subject for something like the super serum would probably need regular check ups.

Bruce gently felt the boy's throat. "Can you tell me your name now?" He tried again. With how it was going he assumed he'd get an answer.

He still didn't say a thing. Though he moved to his shirt. Bruce figured it was for the stethoscope. About to tell the kid he could keep his shirt on and reach under, he stopped to see him pull out a metal chain. The boy watched Bruce. When he didn't do anything, the boy reached out to give him a pair of dog tags hanging around his neck.

The doctor adjusted his glasses and looked them over.

The first tag read:

NICOLAS BRAUN

XXXX.08.31

B NEG

TWILIGHT

GUSTAV BRAUN

Well… They had a name for him now. He turned to the second one:

A/0

He frowned. What the hell did A/0 mean? His eyes went back to the boy. "Your name is Nicolas?" Wanting to confirm.

Nicolas nodded. Returning the tags around his neck, the physical continued. For now, it was his health that was important. Though his silence was unsettling as well. Nic understood what they said to him, in English. But he hadn't made a single sound himself. Did those monsters condition him not to talk? Not speaking in fear of punishment? What ever it was had Bruce holding back shades of green. It was hard to hold in anger over the victimized boy.

With a deep breath though, he continued.

* * *

A/N: Gustav Braun on his dog tags is his handler, who also happens to be his father. Since Hydra is German it made sense to adjust it. His history says he's half-Japanese half-Italian(or French idk) which personally makes no sense for his last name to be the English Brown.

Also screw figuring out what year he was born in. I don't even have an exact year for when this is taking place?


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Sorry this is so late! I keep rewriting chapters when I ought to be posting the ones I'm not hating. This one is short but I'm working on putting more into the future chapters.

* * *

Four in the morning the team had finally gathered for a meeting. With the kid given a room and Friday keeping an eye on him as he slept, the heroes could finally sit and talk about the crazy night.

Everyone was tired and it showed, the way half of them sank into the chairs.

"So…" Tony started as he started his third cup of coffee already. "What's the news on the kid?"

"His name is Nicolas and he's twelve years old." Bruce began with. Steve raised a brow at how quickly the doctor had gotten the information since he hadn't seen the boy say a single word. That and more worrying, Nicolas didn't look twelve. Steve assumed ten at the oldest. He snapped out of the thought when Bruce continued. "Underweight, a couple of vitamin deficiencies. There are some scars, burns and small cuts, but it's mainly contusions."

"What about the drug? If the project has been going on for years then he probably has it in his system." Natasha straightened up as she asked.

Bruce sighed. "I drew some blood. It's being compared to Bucky and Steve's samples right now." He shook his head with a hand raking through his hair. "The kid didn't even flinch when I put in the needle. He's been there too long; he's used to it."

"Just how long?" Thor joined in. Bruce shook his head again, "I don't know."

Nobody was liking where the meeting was going. They wanted to help, but it was gut wrenching to think about what happened.

"Knowing Hydra, he probably already knows how to kill." Tony gave a startled look to Bucky who continued, "it's a super-serum project after all."

Heads turned to Natasha. "The concept of child soldiers isn't new. Children are easier to manipulate." She said. "No matter how young he started, it's better we gotten him out of there now than later. He could've been blindly loyal to them."

"This place isn't the most kid-friendly either." Tony gestured to the facility with his mug. "What do we do with the kid? It's not like we have a daycare."

Once again eyes rolled at Tony. But he had a point. A kid should grow up playing and going to school and being around other kids. The building they were in; it was a compound for what was left of SHIELD. Agents, scientists, and superhero were there. There weren't any other twelve year olds running about.

"I won't just drop him on child services' doorstep. He just got here. Can't keep bouncing him around from place to place." The tone of voice left no room for discussion. Bucky knew how lost Nicolas would be if left to his own device. He had felt that way after the disaster at SHIELD. He was still figuring himself out now. "I will watch after him."

Tony scoffed. "No offense Buckaroo but you as a babysitter? Can't see it." Then mumbled into his cup "It would be a disaster."

Blue eyes narrowed at him into a cold glare. Clint interrupted before a shouting match started. "Bucky's right. Foster care is a gamble. Some assholes only take in kids for the money." The archer leaned back folding his arms. "There's no telling who he'll end up."

"Or how he would respond." Natasha added. "He's barely showed any reactions. I'm sure his handler has trigger words to set him off. Too dangerous not knowing what they are." Bucky's hands clenched. He knew exactly what she meant. Hearing the words that were burned into his mind still gave him made his heart race.

"Then he stays with us for the time being, help him recover." That was the final decision, or at least Steve said it with finality that dared Tony to argue. But the man didn't. It was a fair decision when thinking about the whole thing.

Tony nodded. The argument was valid and he was tired, so there was no point in dragging it out any further. "Friday? Kid still asleep?" With the AI's confirmation, the team dispersed to finally get some rest.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Sorry this is so late, I've had this chapter ready but now finally posting!

* * *

It was about noon that Steve decided to start the day. Five hours of sleep didn't leave him fully charged, but he was definitely better than when they got back.

In the shared space Natasha was already up staring at the woods lining the grounds. She nodded when he approached, not needing to turn to tell who it was.

"Get any sleep?" He asked. She gave a noncommittal shrug. Even with all her training, there were times where it was easier to read her.

"He'll be okay." Steve added quietly. After another moment of silence, Natasha sighed and left towards the kitchen. Probably for coffee. With that, Steve returned to the bedroom to find Bucky slowly pulling on fresh clothes. He hadn't bothered to change before going to bed, and was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. It wasn't a sound sleep, there was tossing and grimaces, but thankfully there weren't any night-terrors. Steve was just glad that Bucky got some rest.

Bucky nodded to Steve when the blond entered. "Ready to get the day going?" Steve knew this was the kind of day everyone wished they could just sleep through and pretend it didn't happen. It was going to happen no matter what.

"Yeah." Bucky answered quietly. He tilted his head up "FRIDAY how's the kid?" It was weird talking to a disembodied voice that wasn't coming in through an earpiece. When he spoke through comms his eyes were busy on the mission, where was he supposed to look for this?

"It appears Nicolas is still asleep." She answered calmly. Bucky nodded as if thanking her. He wanted to let the boy sleep, rest would help; at least with the dark under his eyes. But jet-lag was a bitch, and it would be better to get the kid up and used to the place before it got too much later in the day.

Wanting to keep a close eye on him, Bucky had made sure Nicolas was settled in the room over with a shared door. None of them really knew how he'd behave as he settled in. Bucky at the very least knew that getting away from a controlled environment left him unsure what to do. Nic probably felt the same.

With his flesh hand, he knocked. After a minute he tried again louder. There was no noise of movement on the other side. He frowned and went in, staying at the doorway. He could feel Steve close to his back, just as curious.

There wasn't anything to be alarmed of thankfully. Though they oddly enough found Nicolas curled up on the floor holding a pillow to his head and a blanket tangled around him.

The two blinked at the sight. It was cute to see a kid deeply sleeping. Steve smiled softly at how relaxed he looked like that.

"Hey Nicolas?" Steve called softly. The boy still didn't wake up. He didn't even shift at the sound of his name. The two soldiers looked at each other before Steve knelt down. He gently nudged the boy's shoulder.

That did the trick.

Before he knew what happened, Steve found himself on the floor with Nicolas on top pinning his arm back uncomfortably. The surprise left him looking up at the boy with wide eyes.

Nicolas himself was almost frantic. His eyes flicked around the unfamiliar room, noting all exits. There was a pause when he saw Bucky. The two shared a look and Steve felt the slightest release of tension in the kid.

Nick looked back down at Steve, before quickly standing up. The soldier stood up, stretching his arm. While mentally kicking himself for being slow to react with super reflexes, he was grateful that he didn't counter the much smaller opponent.

"Sorry to startle you like that." He hoped to quickly dismiss the action. Frankly, it looked as if Nicolas was waiting to be struck. Not that he flinched, but more a look of resigned acceptance of the fact. Instead he offered a smile.

Bucky waved for both of them as he went to the hall. "Let's go get breakfast." Nicolas was following as soon as the man waved then nodded a moment later.

Steve watched the boy as they went, for reflexes so fast he was slow to respond to questions. He shrugged that off figuring the boy was still learning English. Instead his attention went to Nic's eyes. Still dark and tired, but alert. He was mapping the place out as they went down halls, scoping for escape routes. The blond would almost use the word paranoid. The anxiety wasn't there, or at least not shown. He decided to describe the kid as hyper-aware.

* * *

The kitchen was already occupied by three others when the soldiers arrived. Once again Clint was at the stove focused on breakfast with the Natasha and Wanda both nursing a coffee.

"Mo-" Steve had to stop himself from saying good morning. It was midday. If Tony heard him say that he'd bug him on semantics. "Hey guys."

"Heya!" Clint loudly responded. "The bread's stale" turning over his shoulder he grinned at Nicolas peeking up at him. "That means French toast day!" Of course he was excited over lunch he could drown in syrup. Natasha rolled her eyes thinking the same thing.

Bucky joined the girls at the table. He liked coffee, but more as a drink to stay awake not a drink to wake up. Steve helped himself to the pot, refilling Nat's mug when she held it out.

Natasha tilted her head slightly at Nic, looking him over in the daylight. His complexion was better under natural light, she was also glad to see some bruises edged by yellow and brown. Signs of healing.

Their eyes met. Her stomach knotted at his gaze. She had seen it plenty times before. Bucky has had looked like that for a while. She's even seen it in the mirror. As a young girl it's all she saw in her reflexion in the red room. An steely gaze focused intensely on her.

"Foods up!" Broke their focus on one another. Clint proudly presented a complete loaf of stale bread made eating worthy. Steve joined the three and glanced at Nic who was still standing by the door watching.

The others looked up as well. Bucky pulled out a chair. "Sit down." The dark eyes looked over the other three before settling himself between Bucky and Natasha.

Not waiting for the others, they dug in. It was safe to assume the two scientists (or just Tony) slept in the lab. Nicolas was slow to take his share, watching the others move first. He soon to follow, clumsily cutting his toast into something more like shreds. Butter and syrup was passed around; after taking a sniff of the syrup and scrunching his face in disgust, Nic quickly declined.

Breakfast was quiet. They offered some casual talk, catching up with Wanda mostly. Bruce's arrival added more conversation when he shuffled in. He indeed fell asleep in his lab along with Tony. He wisely chose to let the billionaire continue sleeping for now.

When forks were down and stomachs were full, Bruce turned to Nicolas. "Nicolas? Would you come to the lab with me again? I'd like to make sure I didn't miss anything last night."

Nicolas paused, glancing to Bucky first who offered a reassuring nod and stood, then nodded himself. Once again the three went to the lab. Bruce's main concern was the tests for anything out of the ordinary.

He followed the procedures of a physical. He was tired at four, so was the kid and everyone else. He wanted to make sure he didn't miss anything worrying. Other than spotting a couple more faded bruises and the thin split of his lip, Nicolas wasn't any worse off than he expected.

He turned to test results and ushered Bucky over to the screen.

"He has a few problems. I ran various blood tests, and for one, Nicolas has leukopenia." Bucky furrowed his brow. He didn't speak doctor, so Bruce was kind enough to speak in laymans terms. "His white blood cell count is low; he has a weak immune system along with vitamin deficiencies."

Bucky glanced back over to Nicolas. The boy sat calmly on the padded table, hands folded in his lap, staring off out the window. He found it odd Hydra would try to work with someone who easily fell ill.

"And the drug?" He asked in a low voice. Bruce adjusted his glasses and brought up another analysis. It looked like a comparison, looking similar.

"The chemical is in his system. It's not an exact match, but it's close enough to safely assume it has given him enhancements."

"Then he should be fine. Steve was a skinny little sick kid when the serum made him into Captain America."

"They didn't use the same serum. Even the minor differences could have side effects." Bruce sighed. "Nicolas has a higher concentration than the reports Tony found. Adverse effects are more pronounced."

Bucky hated all of this. Scratching his nape he shook his head. "So can anything can be done about it?"

"I can't tell at this point. Tony was digging in the files for medical records on him. If we find that it will be a lot easier to help."


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Sorry this took so long, I've had it ready for a while and forgot to get up on here. I hope it's alright? We're going to get more detail on the Twilight project and we'll be seeing more Clint and Nat!_

* * *

While Bruce continued in front of the screen, Natasha went out to pick up some clothes for Nicolas. They didn't exactly have children's sized wear lying around. He couldn't stay in that one oversized shirt and sweatpants forever.

There was a quick tour of essentials for Nicolas: the bathrooms, kitchen, medical wing, who were in neighboring bedrooms besides Bucky and Steve. It ended in the common room once again where Clint insisted they sit down for movies. A normal activity the adults agreed on, especially since Clint had already decided they were watching The Emperor's New Groove. Kid friendly and funny.

A very strange movie for them. Talking llamas, weird villains, and Clint cracking up at "WRONG LEVEEEEERRRR!"

"Okay…" Was Steve's answer to how he liked it. It was a strange movie, and he was still trying to understand modern humor. He grew up with one-liners and slapstick comedy. This was on a whole other level.

Despite their assurances, Nicolas sat on the floor against the wall the entire movie, angled for a good view of the door as well as the screen. He didn't really seem to actually watch the cartoon itself. Instead, Steve would catch glimpses of the boy watching them in the television's reflection when it went dark.

It wasn't far into the credits that Natasha had the fantastic timing of arrival.

"I got the kid some clothes, a few outfits that should last him a week without washing." Natasha set down the bag, ignoring Clint's comment on how he can go a whole week in one t-shirt.

She beckoned him over for the boy to see for himself. In the bag sat a few t-shirts, both long and short sleeved, jeans, a new pairs of sweat pants, and a couple of hoodies. He picked up a black shirt delicately, his fingers gliding over the fabric. It was certainly nicer material than he was currently wearing.

"They're yours. It'll be more comfortable to wear." The redhead stated simply when he put it back neatly in the bag. He merely just continued to look over the clothes. "You can go get changed if you want."

Natasha then held out the bag for him to take and he stared at it. "It's your clothes now. You can wear them." Taking them gingerly, Nicolas returned towards his room still close by Bucky's side. No one thought he'd be letting him out of his sight anytime soon.

It was set down on the foot of the bed. One by one he pulled them all out, looking over every stitch and detail.

"The dresser will fit it all." Bucky offered, "I can grab hangers if you want to use the closet." He didn't wait for a reply, thinking it natural to hang up the jackets at least.

He knocked before entering. The kid didn't need to get startled. He already had a start when he was woken up. Bucky thought back to that. He was clearly asleep, but the moment Steve touched him he was up and ready to fight. The flip to pin down Steve was fluid and done on instinct. There were definitely more in the boy's fighting skills than that. More surprises could be hazardous.

Again the door went unanswered. He tried his metal hand. The louder clang went without answer. Friday told Bucky that she announced his presence to Nicolas, but the boy merely stood inspecting his new hoodie without acknowledging.

Bucky shook his head and entered anyways. The boy turned suddenly at the movement, readying himself for a fight. He stood fists up and feet positioned to move. The realization that it was a friendly face he lowered his hands.

"I knocked a few times." He jabbed his thumb at the door. "And Friday said I was there. The random voice can be strange, but didn't you listen? You need to keep an ear out."

Nicolas stiffened, his hands balling back into fists at his sides. It didn't go unnoticed. "Is it Friday that's bothering you?" Yeah, a disembodied voice watching you constantly gave him chills if he stopped to think about it too.

A shake of the head came, bouncing the dark hair over his eyes. It wasn't Friday. Maybe knocking? What ever it was that was bothering Nicolas, Bucky wanted to find out. The kid was biting his split lip nervously. "You need to tell me what's wrong." His voice went softer.

Nicolas dropped his chin to his chest, shaking his head again. Before Bucky could continue to coax, he was shocked to hear the boy's voice coarse from disuse. "I… I can't..—" He struggled around the words, peaking back up at the man through his dark bangs. "—Hear. I can't hear."

That was not what Bucky expected at all. He was thinking something was making the kid anxious. A twelve year old mess in front of him was not only anxious, underweight, and vitamin deficient, but couldn't hear. He didn't understand why Hydra would do such a thing, but it was sickening. As if they already hadn't done enough to the boy.

Promptly after making the announcement Nicolas tensed further, shrinking in on himself. There was clear fear in his eyes at this point. Bucky had taken him in, but now he was scared he'd be rejected or punished for this condition. It didn't help that the soldier merely stood there with his mouth gaping like a fish as he tried to figure out what to say. All he could manage at the moment was a soft "I'm not angry. It's okay."


	11. Chapter 11

Bucky closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was angry, at Hydra that is. But the nervous boy in front of him needed a calm presence.

He crouched on one knee eye-level with Nicolas, who was now frozen in place as the man approached. "You're reading my lips."

They both stayed in place watching each other for a minute, Bucky not daring to startle the kid, and Nic expecting repercussions for moving. The soldier decided to relax his shoulders; he didn't realize how rigid he held himself before. Nic finally responded with a slight nod, unnoticeable to anyone who wasn't looking for it.

"It's okay." He repeated. While the boy couldn't hear, he kept his voice soft; the worry in his eyes told Nicolas enough. He'd seen worry in others, often accompanied by frustration and anger. It was all about the results not the subjects. This worry was tender without aggression. And it was for him. With a bit more assurance in the action he nodded again.

It was odd for the boy. He had grown up as nothing but a tool to others. Following orders to the letter lest he's punished. Not that he wasn't used to it. He'd constantly have bruises painting his skin.

After a shower and changing into what Bucky insisted was his clothes, Nicolas remained in his room while the man went to share this discovery. No matter how many times Bucky said it was okay, Nicolas never let his guard fully down. The soldier could see his posture ready to make a move, his eyes still analyzing his surroundings. He was like a deer waiting for the headlights and take them on.

* * *

The winter soldier went straight to the labs. The concept of glass walls was convenient when looking for the two scientists. The doctor wasn't in the medical wing anymore. His location was easy to assume though. He was found with the billionaire sitting on either sides of a hologram with coffees each.

Upon entering, Bruce gave Bucky a greeting. Tony continued his habit of ignoring everything when thinking, and needed Bruce to wave his hand through the hologram to get his attention. Though conversation didn't get very far as Tony then decided to complain about hunger and insisted food first.

One way or another it ended up with everyone digging through take out leftovers as they discussed things.

"Any more news?" Clint started as he swiped the fried rice for himself. Eyes went to Bruce, Tony, and Bucky mainly. Obviously the boy was spending most time with the latter, it was reasonable that Bucky noticed conditioned behavior in the boy. Frankly, that worried the Russian spy and the sniper the most.

Bruce adjusted his glasses, everyone knew what he was going to say but he had to voice the fact. "He's a super soldier alright." The spy and two soldiers mostly picked at their food as they listened. "The chemical used in his system has enhancement properties. But it appears that's also whats causing his immune system to weaken."

"Makes sense." Tony butted in. "The files say that the mortality rate is young. They'd get sick and most never lived past thirty." The pregnant silence was heavy.

"There was also mentions of younger ones getting adverse effects. Some health issue or another. I didn't get through everything on that though, but the kid probably has something."

"Any diseases?" Steve was answered by Bruce giving a negative shake of his head. "Hm.."

"He's deaf."

Everyone looked to Bucky with mixed expressions of worry and horror.

Tony had read plenty of ailments subjects had endured. He didn't want to believe this though. Wasn't his scrawny physique enough? "Seriously."

"He told me himself."

There was a pause of that sinking in. Some remained hopefully skeptical. Bucky was getting sick of repeating himself, having to retell his dreams, repeat what he'd seen and what the boy said. He wasn't a recording. He huffed. "Look, the kid was scared to even say so. His speech has a thick accent."

His eyes stole a look towards to Clint, who had a bit of an accent himself despite speech therapy much to his embarrassment. The archer instinctively grazed his fingers over one of his aids.

Clint and Natasha knew the most sign language. Half the time Clint seemingly giggled for no reason was because his partner made a snide sign.

It went unspoken that Clint was going to see the boy. He understood the communication problems. Reading lips could only go so far.

"What else have we got?" With that Steve moved the meeting on. It was frustrating to only get information a little at a time. He wanted to end a meeting without more questions than before.

"The obvious: the whole thing started about twenty years ago. The drug worked, but the users needed continuous doses to keep strong and got addicted. So they looked for more permanent solutions." He drawled with boredom with the summary of the situation. The tone went dark as he went on. "At one point they took in pregnant women. Mothers couldn't really take it, and few infants made it past a year.

So there's that. And also reports of women already on the drug being pregnant. More children survived with parents already on the drug, but they had more pronounced problems."

"So…" Steve started slowly. "Nicolas is…"

"One of those kids, that's what it looks like."

Tony shook his head. This was getting exhausting and he really just wanted to wake up and find nothing this bad has ever happened. Fat chance though. "Files mentioned even the twilight babies need to stay medicated like the others. They're born already dependent on it."

Once again a heavy silence fell over the room.

Nicolas needed the medicine.

"How bad if he doesn't get it?"

"Seeing how it keeps them functioning in the first place, I'd say it won't be pretty."

Natasha shifted in her chair, staring down at her soup. "How long does he have now?"

"Nicolas should be okay for now. In the mean time we can manufacture just enough to keep him going."

The group dispersed again after food was gone, and the two scientists retreated once more to what was affectionately named the "nerd lair."

Steve stopped by Nicolas' room while Bucky took a much-needed hot shower to relax. This was all so much to shoulder. It wasn't just himself recovering with Natasha's silent empathy. Now he had to help the boy. It was decided he'd protect him, there was no changing his mind. What lingered was helping guide Nicolas to a normal life while he was still struggling himself.

* * *

 **A/N:** Just keeps getting better for them, right? My plan is for some Steve & Nico time, then Clint will have his turn!


	12. Chapter 12

Well shit. Forget watching language, "shit" was the accurate reaction for this. Steve found the bedroom empty. The clothes remained folded neatly on the bed bar a hoodie and jeans the boy changed into. Other than that, the kid was not there. That's where Bucky left him right? The bathroom harbored no kids either.

Upon the discovery of the hearing impediment, shouting for the boy was absolutely not helpful.

"Friday?" The computer hummed in acknowledgement. "Where's Nicolas?"

"It appears he is exploring the facility, Captain. He's in the west lobby currently." With a quick thanks, Steve made his way there. It was good Nicolas wasn't scared of his surroundings, but it scared the hell out of Steve to find the room missing it's occupant.

Though… Perhaps rather than merely exploring, he's scoping out the building, checking every hallway. Steve thought to himself. There was a method to survival, and with Hydra's influence Steve figured Nicolas found it second nature.

Nicolas was there, looking out at the grounds. He was on the floor sitting cross-legged with a slouch as leaned his elbows on his knees. It was a look of exhaustion. Frankly though, this was the most relaxed Steve had seen him.

His approach was casual, not slowly sneaking up or trying to jump scare. The first time was a good enough lesson to not startle the kid. Even knowing the kid had enhancements, Steve was still impressed he could go from dead asleep to pinning a fully grown and trained super solder in the blink of an eye.

"Hmmn." Nicolas let out a small acknowledgement of Steve's presence without turning around. The kid was clever. Just like during the movie, he was watching his surroundings through the reflections in the glass.

With a smile Steve stepped beside the boy, eyes going over the shore just across the facility. "The sun's going to set in a few hours." He makes his way to sit down. "It's a great view from here."

The younger head bobbed up and down. Then dark eyes met with light blue ones. Steve was determined to get rid of the stern coldness in his eyes. The same Bucky had.

A silence came over them watching each other. Steve wished he could gesture and fluently sign. He knew enough to understand the idea of what Clint wants to say. Counting, alphabet, the sign for coffee, even the hand signs the archer assigned each member's name.

Instead, Nicolas broke eye contact to look over the man again. His expression was guarded, still skeptical of the kindness he received. It was weird for the boy, he'd only seen a couple orders on their lips. Nico was wondering when they'd use him like the weapon he is. He never thought of himself as anything else really, just something for Hydra to use.

Steve could still see the suspicion linger in Nicolas' expression. He didn't look so cornered now. Just a few hours of being there and looking around the boy's intuition shifted.

His shift in posture showed a favor for fight, taking down the threat, rather than flight when he looked ready to pin someone down and make a break for it. Steve figured he'd fight tooth and nail either way.

With a sigh, Steve leaned back on his hands. He casually looked over the boy in return. A shower and fresh change of clothes worked wonders. The boney physique was going to take time to work on. Either way, Steve was happy to see the improvement from last night's scrawny captive of Hydra to the boy in front of him now.

"You know, once the weather gets warmer we can head down to swim." His smile didn't reach out as he hoped it would. Nicolas sat with eyes squinting a forehead furrowed as he put the sentence together. Despite looking to his lap instead, Steve could see him mouth the word swim.

Dark eyes went back to the window and he nodded again. The soldier had a feeling the boy didn't read the right word, but agreed anyways.

Stretching back to standing, Steve figured it wouldn't do much good to just have a one sided conversation. With Nicolas standing quickly beside him, he gestured to the boy to follow, heading back towards the communal area.

They were greeted by a damp Bucky, moving his legs off the couch for the others to join him. Before starting any tv show, the two adults spent time trying to get Nicolas on the couch. He accepted the stool in the kitchen which confused them. It occurred to Bucky that neither have actually seen Nicolas use the bed. He was sleeping on the floor… the bed didn't look disrupted other than the single pillow and light sheets missing and down on the floor with him.

Bucky stopped and joined the boy on the floor, grabbing the remote from the arm of the sofa. He sat beside Nicolas, and soon enough Steve joined them. With them on either side, Nicolas settled in. They could see him watching them in the corner of his eyes (mostly Steve because he sat on the side of his good eye).

Flipping through their "to watch" list, it was decided that American Horror Story and Walking Dead would not play with a child in the room. The soldiers agreed on a show suggested by Pepper and vouched for by Bruce, Natasha, and Sam.

So the three watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

"Ooh good show." Clint announced coming in. "You two still need to get on Game of Thrones already."

Steve raised a brow. "That's a bit mature for a kid." Peaking over the couch to spot a mop of shaggy hair with eyes turning to him, he nodded.

"Fair enough." He came around, perching on the end of the couch. While he was seeing what episode they were on, he didn't need to turn to feel the hard stare on him. Admittedly creepy.

"Crazy mantis lady. Just started then?" His hands moved with his words.

"Yep."

"Nat and Pepper will probably make you guys binge watch some time."

"Doesn't sound too bad."

Clint laughed. He knew Natasha was a fan of the show, but it was Pepper they needed to watch out for. She was the one who got the spy into the show in the first place; which is impressive because Pepper got her to stay to watch an entire season through.

He shook his head, "you two have fun with that." Bucky had huffed and gone back to Buffy chasing down a vampire.

Nicolas on the other hand continued to stare at Clint. His face was still too dull to read. There was a hint of analytical thought behind his eyes. The gears were turning in his head working out Clint's every move. The gestures were distracting him from the man's lips, and seemed rather meaningless.

"Are you okay kid?" Pointing to Nico, then a "o" shape followed by his index and middle finger pointing out. He shifted, holding in nervousness that perhaps he was given orders he should understand and follow.

Clint tried again. Without speaking he signed "YOU KNOW A-S-L?" Nico quickly glanced to both soldiers before back to Clint. It was an awkward quiet between the four of them with all eyes on Nicolas.


End file.
